Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Youth Congress sore at seat share

Thiruvananthapuram: The Youth Congress State unit and the senior leadership are at loggerheads over allocation of seats in the upcoming local body elections.

A section of the Youth Congress has already gone on record against the short shrift some of the youngsters have allegedly been given in selection of candidates. The organisation leaders had submitted a list of 3,000 candidates from across the State to be fielded at various levels of local bodies. The contention of the Youth Congress leaders is that only less than 250 candidates have been accommodated in the elections. The youth leaders apparently drew their inspiration from All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Rahul Gandhi's call to induct youth below 40 years of age in the contest.

The Congress leadership, however, claims that youths are being given adequate representation at various levels. The KPCC has even issued special circular to election committees from ward level upwards to ensure that the candidates' panel they select has 40 per cent representation for the youth.

P.C. Vishnunath, MLA, had alleged other day that the local election committees, in which Youth Congress had no representation, had deliberately overlooked the claims of organisational leaders. The row has now got a new dimension with veteran leader K. Karunakaran expressing similar views.

As the controversy gathers momentum, it is becoming clear that the youths and their seniors differ in their perceptions. The KPCC maintains that representation for youth need not necessarily mean restricting it to the members of the Youth Congress and that it is the responsibility of the party leadership to ensure youth below 40 too get an opportunity to contest. There is a large contingent of youth leaders who are no more part of the Youth Congress, in which the upper age limit is 35 years. Senior leaders such as KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala strongly holds the view that when the final candidates list is ready, the youth might get representation even above the mandated figure of 40 per cent.

If party sources are to be believed, the Youth Congress leaders might have got their shots wrong. Sources said the list of 3,000 youth leaders submitted was far from being convincing. Out of the list of 3,000 candidates, only 150 are women. And the seats the Youth Congress sought are mainly in urban local bodies and district panchayat divisions. Party sources pointed out that the age profile of the Congress this time would be totally different compared to previous elections. “We expect a large majority of candidates to be below 50 years,” a senior leader said.

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